Dear Colleague,

In the face of ongoing market challenges, Elizabethtown College confirmed its growing reputation and distinction by amassing its largest applicant pool in the College’s history. From that pool came a first-year cohort characterized by its strength in diversity, achievement, and academic accomplishment.

This year saw a 10.2% increase in the number of students applying to Elizabethtown. This increase was accompanied by increases to several sincerity indices suggesting the growth was more than fluff. For example, the number of students completing application increased, as did the number of students visiting campus for tours and interviews. Additionally, the number of students submitting standardized test scores (a somewhat finite pool) grew, suggesting a greater share of market interest for Elizabethtown on the part of prospective students.

The incoming class has over 12% of its members coming from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds. Students come to Elizabethtown from 15 different states and nine different countries. As a group, the class also exhibits economic, academic, and co-curricular diversity.

A number of new initiatives helped to strengthen this incoming group. The Stamps Family Scholarship (a full-tuition award to our highest achieving students) helped three very talented students become members of the incoming class. Likewise, the Momentum Program (a summer bridge program primarily for first-generation students) provided both distinction and confidence in Elizabethtown’s offer of admission for nearly 10% of our incoming students.

In addition to the characteristics mentioned above, the Class of 2017 had these additional distinctions:

Selected from 3,665 applicants

523 first-time first-year students

557 mean critical reading score on the SAT

570 mean math score on the SAT

39% from the top 10% of their high school

12 valedictorians/salutatorians

15 four-year/degree-seeking students from 9 countries

205 involved in the arts, 234 involved in athletics, 352 involved in service and leadership, and 47 involved in literary publications

This cohort of students is prepared for the challenges that will be placed in front of them. I stand behind each member of this incoming class, knowing they have the ability to become bigger parts of the world around them as a result of their time at Elizabethtown. What follows is a descriptive look at the pool of students who became the Elizabethtown College Class of 2017.